Pelican Pel"i*can, n. [F. p['e]lican, L. pelicanus, pelecanus,
Gr. ?, ?, ?, the woodpecker, and also a water bird of the
pelican kind, fr. ? to hew with an ax, akin to Skr.
para[,c]u.] [Written also {pelecan}.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any large webfooted bird of the genus
{Pelecanus}, of which about a dozen species are known.
They have an enormous bill, to the lower edge of which is
attached a pouch in which captured fishes are temporarily
stored.
[1913 Webster]

Note: The American white pelican ({Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos}) and the brown species ({Pelecanus
fuscus}) are abundant on the Florida coast in winter,
but breed about the lakes in the Rocky Mountains and
British America.
[1913 Webster]

2. (Old Chem.) A retort or still having a curved tube or
tubes leading back from the head to the body for
continuouscondensation and redistillation.
[1913 Webster]